Casing or shield for power-tables.



H. EICHHORN & R. BECKER.

cAsmG 0R SHIELD FOR PQWER TABLES.

APPLICAUON FILED APR. 6- I914.

Patented Apr. 2%,1917.

I WITNESSES: ygmzfim fijI/ENIURSJ W v w provements in Casings or top,

s'r'ia ras Parana errata HERMANN EICHHOBN AND RUDOLPH BECKER, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGN- ORS TO THE SINGER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

casme on SHIELD non PoWEBr-TABLES.

Fatented Apr. 24, 1%1'2'.

Application filed April 6,1914. Serial No. 829,764.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that. we, HERMANN EIGH- iionN and RUDOLPH BECKER, citizens of the United States, residing at Elizabeth, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Im- Shields for Power- Tables, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an improvement in casings or shields for power-tables designed to support a plurality of sewing machines or the like driven by means located below the table-top; and it has for its object to provide a casing of this class for effectively shielding the operator from the moving parts beneath the table-top while permitting convenient access thereto for purposes of adjustment, oiling, &c.

The improvements are herein illustrated in connection with a journaled therein beneath its top a powershaft which may be driven by an electric motor bolted to the floor beneath the table, to which shaft are belted the power-transmitters depending from the table-top and having individual connections with the respective machines to be driven sustained by the table-top. Each transmitter is preferably provided with operating lever having a suitable connection with a treadle resting upon the floor.

Disposed beneath the margin of the tabletop, and preferably extending entirely around-the. table, is a. floor-rail or track grooved in its upper side and conforming in shape with the table excepting adjacent the ,transmitter controlling devices or treadles, where it is provided with backwardly extending portions each embracing one of said treadles. Resting within the confining groove of said rail are the several detachable sections of a shield whose primary function is to protect an operator from the moving partsbeneath the tablecertain of said sections being shaped to conform with the said backwardly deflected portions of the track to effectively shield the operator from the power-shaft and the transmitter with its connections with the power-shaft and the machine to be driven. Depending from the under side of the table-top are spring-holders adapted to power-table which has a laterally extending maintain the several sections detachably in position upon and press the same yieldingly to said rail, so as to prevent the rattling-0r chattering of the sections under the vibration produced by the operation of the sewing machines and their driving means.

The invention will be understood'by reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a power-table embodying the present improvements, with certain of the, shield sections removed to expose the parts beneath the table. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the floor-rail and certain of the shield sections applied thereto with the spring-holders in engagement therewith. Figs. 3 and4 are detail transverse sectional views of certain of the parts shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view showing the telescopic connection between the component parts of the extensible shield sections. I

Asrepresented in the drawings, the table comprises a series of frames or standards 1 and 2 each bolted to the floor in the usual manner and provided with the vertically adjustable cross-members 3 sustaining the top-board 4. Journaled in suitable bearings of the standards is the power-shaft 5 connected with and driven by the electric motor 6 bolted to the floor beneath the table.

The power-shaft is provided with grooved pulleys 7 each connected by a belt 8 with one of the pulleys 9 of a power-transmitter of well-known form having a second pulley 10 connected by, a belt 11 with the balancewheel pulley 12 of a sewing machine 13 to be driven. The power-transmitter is provided with the laterally extending operating lever 14 by means of which a frictional driving relation is established between the pulleys 9 and 10, this lever being connected at its outer end by means of the rod 15 with a treadle 16 pivotally mounted upon the bracket member 17 secured upon the floor beneath the table-top.

Fastened to the floor beneath the edges of the table-top by means of screws 18 is a substantially rectangular sectional rail 19 formed in the top with a groove 20. Adjacent the treadles 16 the track is formed with backwardly deflected portions 21 each affording a recess embracing the ends and rear sideof its respective treadle.

The shield resting upon the track 19 is] formed in sections conforming with the shape of the track, the sections 22 at the may also have similar beads formed upon one or both of their Vertical edges against 4 which the adjacent sections are abutted.

The end sections at the front are shown adjustable in width, being composed of partially overlapping plates 23 and- 24 having their upper and lower edges formed as represented in Fig. 5, the upper margin of the plate 23 being bent around a rod or core 25 and'the plate 2% having its upper edge similarly bent upon the bead thus formed upon the plate 23 to loosely embrace the same and afford a sliding connection between them, the lower beaded edge being seated within the groove 20 of the rail 19. v The concave portion of the track afforded by the part 21 embracing each of the treadleplates receives the lower beaded edge of the U-shaped shield-section 26 formed at one side and near its upper edge with a suitably shaped aperture 27 through which pro ects the outer portion of the transmitter operating-lever 14, this shield-section affording a recess at the front of the table to embrace the treadle and its connection with the power-transmitter, while afiording a partition between the operator and the rotating parts of the transmitter with its belt con? nections to the machine to be driven and the power-shaft. i. I

The lower front margin of the table-top has secured thereto at intervals the fastening plates 28 each provided at one end with a depending stud-pin 29 and at the opposite end with a forked lug 30 in which is mounted by the pivotal pin 31 the boss of a convexly curved holding arm 32 formed in its convex lower face with a transverse recess at 33 and an adjacent slot 34 embracing the pin 29. The holding plate is pressed downwardly by means of a spring 35 surrounding the pin 29 and interposed between the arm 32 and the bottom of the fastening plate 28. The flat shield-sections at the front of the table are placed in position by first inserting their lower edges within the groove 20 of the track and then pressing the upper edge back-wardly in contact with the convex portion of the arm 32 until it enters the recess at 33 in which position the pin 29 afiords a stop for it, the action of the spring 35 upon the arm 32 serving not only to retain the top of the shield-section in position, but to press the same downwardly so as to yieldingly seat the lower edge within the groove of the track, The section may be readily removed by forcibly retracting the upper edge from the recess of the holding arm 32, which latter is allowed to drop until the outer end of its slot 34 rests upon the side of the stud-pin 29.

As represented in the drawing, the curved shield-section 26 is somewhat shorter than the adjacent sections which it abuts at its opposite edges, and the upper edge is engaged near the extremities by the notched.

heads 36 of the screw-studs-37 tapped into the swinging arms 38 formed at their upper ends with yokes' 39 embracing and pivotally connected by means of the pins 40 with bosses formed upon downwardly inclined spring-arms 41 having their shanks secured to the lower face of the table-top. To place the section 26 in position, it is set with its lower edge resting in the groove of the part 21' of the track and the arms 38,, which were previously displaced from operative position, are drawn into vertical position with the notched heads 36 of the screw-bolts 37 resting upon the beaded upper edge of the section which is thereby retained from lateral displacement and pressed downwardly upon the track,

The present improvement is obviously adapted for embodiment in that style of power-table shown and described in the United States patent to J. A. Reid, No.

effectively prevented from rattling or chattering under the jar produced by th'moving parts.

The shield as thus described effectively prevents the material and thread from coming in contact with and being wound around the running parts and reduces the liability of accumulation of lint and other matter, particularly upon the shaft bearings, which are frequently in practice allowed to remain without oiling until they become highly heated, so as to ignite any accumulation of lint thereon. In case of fire from such cause, the inclosure of the lower portion of the table prevents any injurious drafts which would facilitate the spreading of fire and confines the same to the parts affected, while access is readily secured by reason of the facility of detachment of the shield-sections.

It is obvious that the improvement is susceptib le of material modification in the construetion and arrangement of its parts to suit various operative conditions without departure from the scope of the present invention.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what we claim herein is 1. A casing or shield for a power-table, comprising a floor-rail, a shield-plate fitted at the lower edge to said rail, and means for detachably securing said shield-plate in position upon said rail.

2. A casing or shield for a power-table, comprising a floor-rail, a series of shieldplates fitted at their lower edges to said rail each with an edge contiguous to that of an adjacent shield-plate, and means for detach ably securing said shield-plates in position upon said rail.

. 3. A casing or shield for a power-table, comprising a rail to be disposed beneath the table-top, a shield plate having its lower edge fitted upon and supported by said rail, and a spring-holder engaging the upper edge of said shield-plate and adapted to press the same yieldingly and detachably upon said rail.

4. A casing or shield for a power-table, comprising a floor-rail to be disposed beneath the table and provided with a seat, a series of shield-plates resting upon and having their lower edges confined in position by said seat of the floor-rail, and springholders sustained by. the tablein yielding engagement with the upper edges of said plates and acting to press the latter ,upon

said seat of the floor-rail.

5. In a power-table for supporting one'or more sewing machines and having suspended beneath it one or more power-transmitters with suitable treadle connections, a casing or shield arranged below the table com- 'prising a floor-rail formed with a backwardly deflected portion adapted to embrace a treadle, and a plurality-of detachable shield sections resting upon said rail, said shield sections conforming to theshape of the rail with its backwardly deflected portion, embracing the treadle, and forming a partition between the same and the transmitter.

p 6. In a power-table for supporting one or more machines and having suspended beneath it one or more power-transmitters with suitable treadles, a casing or shield arranged beneath the table and comprising a plurality of detachable sections, one of said sections being deflected backwardly to embrace said treadle, a floor-rail having a' grooved top disposed mainly beneath the front of the table and formed with a backwardly deflected portion to embrace said treadle, and a series of spring-holders suspended from the table and holding said shield sections yieldingly down upon said rail against lateral movement.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification, in the vpresence of two subscribing witnesses.

HERMANN EICHHORN. RUDOLPH BECKER.

Witnessesz- HENRY A. KORNEMANN, Jr., WM. 1?. STEWART. 

